Today May 15th is Getting Ink Day

Today is How to be your own PR Person Day

In the media “getting ink” simply means to get the media’s attention and ultimate coverage in their media sources.

Today there are so many ways to get publicity beyond newspapers, radio or even local TV.  In fact, you can be your own media company. HOW? With your own website, social media and more! You can build your brand around anything with the greatest marketing tool ever, the Internet.

You can get mentioned on blogs that journalists and editors read.  You can get your articles “tweeted” and shared on Facebook by building a number of people who also share your interests and want to follow you because you have answers to their own challenges, problems and needs.  With all the opportunities on the internet you can share ideas and see what works. The most important thing to remember with social media is to be authentic, be real, be honest and be accessible. With the vast resources on the Internet you can be your own PR person and get attention that before now was much more difficult, cost prohibitive and time-consuming to get.

Follow these tips and you will GET the INK on line you deserve.

Be Social

Social media is one of the best ways to to get people to find out about you, and are a lot less costly than paid advertising.   There’s Twitter, FriendFeed. Facebook and LinkedIn.

Twitter should be on top of your list for getting ink.  Its as simple as creating an account for your company or organization,  create a compelling 160 character bio that includes keywords and YOUR NAME.  Add a REAL picture (people do business with people, not logos).  Then you follow people who have similar needs or interests to your product, follow people you know and some of the people they follow. Mr. Tweet is a great resource for following recommendations.  Also use Twellow to find journalists to follow.

Start posting creative, interesting compelling content 140 characters at a time.  Find other resources and ideas to share with you followers. Use video links because video is a great tool that very often goes VIRAL and is passed along on all the major social networks.

Create your own video and upload to YouTube or Vimeo so that your followers and customers will be more likely to embed the video into their own sites, blog posts, and social networks. Video will create BUZZ in a way other online medias don’t.

Get involved locally.  Online social networks are great for building a database, and local communities will help you create local buzz that also gets passed on via social networks. Attend conferences, networking events, fundraisers anything that will put you in front of YOUR Client prospects.

Use the Tools at Your Disposal

There are so many online do-it-yourself websites that let you literally “expose yourself” for little or no money.

Press Release sites are a good example.  PRWEB, Business Wire, and PRNewswire are just a few that you can use to post your press releases.

With PitchEngine (the social network for journalists and PR Professionals) you can  build branded social media releases which also include social sharing options and video and image assets.  PitchEngine offers both  free and fee based plans available.

BuzzGain gives you a comprehensive do-it-yourself dashboard to monitor and measure buzz across the Web.

There’s also YourPitchSucks a site that lets you submit your press releases to PR pros for review.

Sign up for Haro ~ Help a Reporter Out, Reporter Connection and PitchRate to follow what PR persons are looking for, the kind of stories they want to cover.

Read this article by Kim Roach of SEO-News called “Getting into Google and Yahoo News”

CONNECT With the Right People

If you are going to go to all the trouble of writing press releases, articles, blog posts, etc. the key is to connect with the right audience and then to follow up.   By using the tools suggested above and following up you will increase your chances of Getting Ink and becoming your own PR Person.

For more information on getting PR, check out this FREE Special Report: Creating A BUZZZZZ ~ Developing Your Brand in the Marketplace (15-page report)

Today is also:

“The Stars and Stripes Forever” Day the first public performance of this march happend in 1897.

Underground America Day

Also on this day:

In 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition began their journey, leaving from St. Louis, MO.

In 1942, Congress passed an amendment making women eligible to enlist for noncombat duties in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC).

While you are thinking about ways to promote your business, check out  Quirky Marketing Calendar ~ How to Use Zany and Non-traditional Holidays to Promote Your Business 365 Days a Year for More great marketing ideas.

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